Wire forming machine



March 30, 1937. D. L. BROWN WIRE FORMING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledApril 29, 1935 RNEY % & i

March 30, 1937.

D. 1.. BROWN WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR DAVID 1.. BROWN RNEY March 30, 1937. BROWN 2,075,168

WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR DAW0 A. BROWN mxm.

A ORNEY March 30, 1937; BRQWN WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed April 29, 19554' Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 04 V10 L. BROWN BY 8% RNEY Patented Mar. 30,1937 UNITED STATES WIRE FORliflNG MACHINE David L. Brown, Summit, N. 3.,assignor to Trussell Manufacturing Company, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application April 29, 1935, Serial No. 18.7 34

23 Claims.

This invention relates particularly, though not exclusively, to theforming of wire with 'reverse bends, providing the effect of a strip oftransversely extending wire fingers connected in spaced substantiallyparallel relation.

' By suitable bending operations these connected wire fingers may beshaped to form the holding elements of a ring binder.

. It is essential for such use that the wire fingers be practicallyparallel, so that in the final shape they will hold the sheets in thebinder in proper register. To be practical also, this special wire stripmaterial should be relatively inexpensive.

Important objects of the present invention are to enable production ofstrip material of the character referred to accurately, rapidly andinexpensively and to provide a machine for the purpose, which will be ofas simple design and low cost as possible and which will be entirelypractical and emcient for the purposes intended.

Additional objects and the novel features of construction, combinationsand relations of parts by which the objects in view have been attainedwill appear and are set forth in detail in the 5 course of the followingspecification.

. The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrate certain practical embodiments of the invention, but it willbe apparent as the specification proceeds that the structure may bemodified and changed in various ways without departure from the truespirit and broad scope of the invention.

Fig. l is a broken planytview of one of the machines showing the wire ofstrip material going in through a stock straightener at the left handside of the machine and coming out as a formed zig-zag binder strip atthe opposite side of the machine.

Fig. 2 isa broken sectional view as on a generally central planeindicated by line 22 of Fig. 1 and illustrating in particular the feedslide and related parts.

Fig. 3 is a broken transverse sectional detail as on substantially theplane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar view as on substantially the plane of line 4-4 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken detail illustrating .in solid and in brokenlines particularly the operation of the reversely acting bendingfingers.

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional detail of hold-down plungers as onsubstantially the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig, '7 is a broken sectional detail on a larger scale as onsubstantially the plane of line 'I'| of F18. 5.

Fig. 8 is a broken bottom plan of the bending fingers in the cooperatingrelation forming the final bend.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the dies for holding andimparting the final set to the bends in the formed strip of material.

Fig. 10 is a broken plan view illustrating modification of details offorming dies and stock holding clamp.

Fig. 11 is a broken and part sectional side ele- 1 vation of the lattermechanism.

For a quick understanding of the general principles of the invention,attention is first directed to Fig. 1, where the final product of themachine is indicated at the right issuing from a guide 15, 1 as a stripcomposed of substantially parallel transverse lengths of wire l6,connected by narrow bends l1, and forming fingers connected in spacedrelation by the wider bends l8.

The wider bends are made around the point of 5 a holding and setting die19, by an arcuately acting bending finger 20, and the narrower bends aremade around the point 2|, of this first bending finger by a secondsequentially acting bending finger 22.

After these bends are thus made, the bending fingers 22 and 20, may openup in this reversed order and the die IS, with the co-acting' die 23,which have held the previously finished bends, separate to permit thework being advanced one step by the feed slide 24.

As the bending and holding dies 19, 23, open up, a pad 25 on the feedslide comes down and grips the work, so that it will be advanced withthe slide.

In some instances, a holddown plunger indicated at 26 comes down tomomentarily grip the work as the dies I9, 23 separate.

To aid in the feeding operation and to overcome any tendency of thefinished stock to drag 4 the work out of the machine, there may beprovided a spring feeding and detent pawl 21, on the inner end of thefeed slide for engaging the strands of the finished strip.

The strip stock, which in this case is the wire, 4 is shown at the leftin Fig. 1, at 28, entering between straightener rolls 29, on the feedslide and passing thence through a relatively wide wire guiding throat30, for holding the wire down to a constant level while being acted onby the bend- 5 ing fingers.

Previous to entering the machine, the stock preferably is carefullystraightened and in the machine, care is taken to deflect it only atpoints where bends are to be located. In carrying out 5 this idea ofpreserving the parts which are to be straight in their original straightcondition and bending the stock only at the intended points of bend, thebending fingers are made to engage the wire at those exact points wherebends are to be located. Forming is thus accomplished without wipingalong the wire and hence the bends are definitely and exactly locatedwithout any creeping effect.

Considering details, the base of the machine illustrated, comprises atable structure 3|, on which the various parts described are mounted andwhich has at the sides of the same the front, back, left and right handcam shafts 32, 33, 34, 35, respectively, connected by bevel gearing 36.

As shown particularly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the feed slide 24, isreciprocated longitudinally of the wire line in a guide channel 31, bythe reversely acting earns 38, 39, on the left hand cam shaft 34,engaging the spaced cam rolls 46, 4|, on the underside of the slide.

The pad or clamp 25 for holding the work down on the feed slide is shownas carried by an arm 42, pivoted on the slide at 43, and tensioned by anoverstanding spring 44.

In the first form of the invention disclosed, the work clamp of the feedslide is raised as in Fig. 4, by being wedged up to that position by thebevelled ends 45, at the inner ends of the dies I9, 23, acting as wedgesengaging beneath the angularly undercut sides 46, of the pad.

In the second form of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11,the feed slide clamp is lifted by means of a cam 41, on the right handcam shaft 35, acting on a lever 48, having a lifting engagement with thework holding pad lever at 49.

The timing of this cam is such as to lift the pad on the outwardretractive stroke of the feed slide and to lower the pad at the end ofthis outward movement to effect the feed of the stock on the inwardstroke of the slide. I

The first bending and holding die I9 is shown carried by a slide 50,Figs. 1 and 4, having a cam roll 5|, engaged by cam 52, on the back camshaft 33.

Similarly, the companion bending and holding die 23, is showncarried bya slide 53, carrying a roll 54, engaged by cam 55, on the front camshaft 32.

In the first form of the invention Shown, the companion bending andholding dies I9, 23, are of multiple design, the first having duplicatebending and holding fingers |9a and SD and the second having a secondduplicate bending and holding finger 23a, these mating or meshing asindicated particularly in Fig. 1.

In the'simpler form of the invention shown in Fig. 10, only two matingdie fingers are employed, these being simply designated l9 and 23. The

latter view illustrates also how these die fingers may be shaped toproduce relatively abrupt angu lar bends instead of the more roundedbends produced in the first form of the machine.

As shown particularly in Figs. 2, 4 and '1, the companion die fingersare formed at thebottom with mating wire receiving grooves 56, along thesides and about the ends of the same to receive, position and positivelyhold the wire.

In similar fashion, the first bending and forming finger 20, is groovedat 51, entirely about the lower edge of the same, as appears in thedetail view, Fig. 8, and the second bending finger 22 is grooved at 58,along the edge facing the back or outer portion of the first bender andabout the point of the same.

As shown in Fig. 7, the forming dies and bending fingers operateimmediately over the smooth fiat top surface of the feed slide 24, sothat the latter thereby forms a closure to the mating wire receivinggrooves 66, 51, 56, in the lower edges of these forming tools. Asappears also in this view, the second .bending finger has a matingengagement at 69, beneath a correspondingly shaped overstanding shoulderon the back of the first forming tool 20. This assures accurate registerand .coaction of the two so-called bending fingers.

The first or front bending finger 26 is shown as pivoted on a stud 66,on a transversely acting slide 6|, having a cam roll 62, engaged by acam 63, on the front cam shaft 32. A spring 64, thrusts this fingeroutwardly against a roll 66, on a stationary mounting bracket 66, theouter vedge of the finger thus riding over this roll as a camin thereciprocating movement of the slide 6|.

The parts are designed so that upon the inward movement of the slide 6|,the tip of the first bending finger 26, will engage the wire extendingout from around the die l3, at the point 61, indicated in the brokenline position Fig. 5, and will carry that point on the are 63, to theouter shoulder 63, at the root of the shaping die I8. One bend is thusmade about the tip of the stationary die l9, and a second bend isstarted at a definite point 61, on the wire without any slipping orwiping action.

The second bending finger 22 is shown pivoted on a stud on a slide 1|,having a roll 12, engaged with cam 13, on the back shaft 33. This secondfinger is shown as actuated from a cam 14, on the left hand camshaft 34,Fig. l, engaging a roll 15, on an upright lever 16, pivoted at its lowerend at 11, Fig. 2, and having a universal fitting 18, at its upper endpivotally connected with the bending finger by an adjustable link 13.

The two cams described are related to effect the operation in brokenlines indicated in Fig. 5, that is, to bring the tip of this secondforming lever into contact at 80, with the stretch of wire extending outaround the tip 2|, of the first bending finger and to carry thiscontacted point on the wire on the arc 8|, closely into the curve of theshoulder 82, Fig. 8, at the root of the first bending finger.

Accordingly, the third bend of the stock is accomplished, starting atthe point of bend and without slipping or wiping that bend along thewire.

Thus by the means described, the wire is kept straight except right atthose points where bends are required and the bending is started andfinished at those contacted points. In the forming operations therefore,no undesired bends or bending tendencies are applied or imparted to theotherwise straight wire and the lengths of wire between the bends arepermitted to remain in their original straight condition.

The bends placed in the wire through the described coaction of dies andbending fingers are fixed and given a permanent set in the step-bystepaction of the interfitting overlappingdies I3, 23, etc.

If found desirable, the bending fingers may break the wire slightlybeyond true parallelism of the transverse strands, so that any remainingspring will simply bring these strands back to true parallelism, whichis fixed in the subsequent engagement of the same in the co-actingsliding dies.

As will be noted particularly in'Figs. 2 and 11, the wire guiding slot80, holds the wire down to the plane of the feed slide and directly inline with the wire confining grooves 56, 51, 58. In the latter view, anoverstanding wide flange 83, confines the wire down in this plane as itis swung back and forth first by one and then by the other bendingfinger.

The device for holding the finished work heretofore referred to in ageneral way as the plunger 28, actually consists in the form illustratedin Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, of a pair of plunger stems ll, carried by a head85, on the end of a rock lever 88, and operating down through guides81,.

to grip parallel strands of the finished material. This lever is shownin Figs. 1 and 2, as pivoted at 88, and carrying a roll 89, inengagement with cam 90, on the right hand cam shaft 35, and as beingtensioned in the work gripping direction by spring 9|. When used, thiswork holding clamp may be timed to grip that part of the work which isclear of the sliding dies only when there is no advancing movement ofthe work.

The work feeding and detent pawl 21, Figs. 1, 5 and 7, may be simply inthe form of an overstanding spring strip on the end of the feed slide,shaped substantially as indicated in Fig. 'I, to engage between thestrands of finished work to aid in advancing the material out throughthe guide l5, and to prevent the weight of any length of finishedmaterial hanging from the guide exerting too much of a pull on the workpassing through the machine.

Ordinarily, it is unnecessary to have a series of the interfitting diefingers as at l9, l9a, Nb and 23, 23a, Fig. 1, just two of thesereversely operating coacting fingers being sumcient as indicated in Fig.10.

Also under average conditions, the work holding clamp 26, Figs. 1 and 2may be dispensed with. These latter two conditions make it possible in aconstruction like that shown in Figs. 10 and 11, to set the work holdingpad 25, on the feed slide in the space 92, provided between the opposingends of the two die slides. Fig. 10 also shows how the second bendingdie 23, may be made of less than full length and the pad be out out atthe corner at 93, to accommodate this short finger and be extended forthe rest of its width close up in back of the first bending die 19. Thisthus locates the clamp as close as possible to the actual formingoperations.

The bending tools may be shaped to form more nearly angular than thecurved bends shown. The finished strip material may feed out of themachine in continuous lengths and be wound on reels or otherwisehandled. If desired, the

strip material may be cut in predetermined lengths in the machine. Themachine may be adapted to and employed for handling other forms of stripstock than wire. While particularly adapted for producing a stripproduct for binders, it will be understood that the machine may be usedfor producing various other kinds of material or articles. Also, it willbe appreciated that while the structures shown are considered aspreferred embodiments of the invention, many changes may be made allwithin the broad scope of the following claims. I

When the stock is straightened before reaching the machine, as isdesirable, the straightener rolls 29, may be set and used primarily as aguide and as a means for applying a certain tension or drag" to thestock, thus to keep the wire taut and free of any slack while the toolsare operating on the same.

It is to be noted that the formed portion of the stock remains attachedto the supply length of stock. The operation can thus be continuous anduninterrupted. The coacting dies I9, 23, hold the immediate previouslyformed portion of the strip stock, the wire grooves 56, about the basesof the same providing passage for the wire to which this portion remainsattached. The operation of the first forming or bending tool 20, is thensimply to break this issuing portion of wire about the point of thefirst die member and lay the first strand of a newly formed section intothe groove along the outer or exposed face ofthe first die member. Theforming face of the first bending tool is in effect a continuation ofthe exposed forming surface of the first die member, so that as thesecond bending tool 22, comes in from the reverse direction on an arcintersecting the arc of travel of the first tool, the second strand ofwire will then be lapped over the back or outer face of the firstbending tool to complete the forming operation. The reciprocating andswinging forming tools 20 and 22 instead of opening up in the reversedorder indicated, may both slide outwardly substantially simultaneouslyand substantially parallel with the strands which they have just formed.This is permissible for the second bending finger 22, by the controlexercised by the cam 14, and such movement is also possible for thefirst bending tool 20, by the cam edge of that tool leaving the roll 85.This straight outward sliding movement of the first tool is alsogoverned in the illustration by the overlying portion at 59, of thesecond tool which serves as a confining guide during such outwardsliding movement of the first tool.

The dies I9, 23, may start opening substantially simultaneously with theopening action of the bending tools. During such opening movements theformed stock is retained in position by the wire receiving grooves orchannels sliding outwardly over the parallel strands of formed productand this control may be maintained while the feed slide 24 is beingretracted from beneath the same and up to the moment when the clamp 25or 26, if the latter be used, comes down to grip the work on the slide.

These operations are effected smoothly and rapidly, producing thedesired accurate product at low cost. The forming operations areaccomplished without injuring or straining the stock, the bending toolsapproaching from opposite directions and working sequentially onintersecting arcs having the effect simply of folding the stock first inone direction and then in the opposite direction, around formingsurfaces which at the time are stationary. These actions are simple andfree of any abrupt changes of movement so that the power factor is lowand the machine operates quietly.

What is claimed is:

1. A forming machine of the character disclosed, comprising incombination, cooperating dies for holding formed strip stock attached toa supply length of stock and one having an outer face for partialformation of an attached portion of the stock thereover, a tool providedwith a companion forming face and having a movement to carry theattached portion of stock about said outer forming face of the die, saidforming tool having an outer forming face in continuation of the opposedforming face of said die and a second sequentially acting tool providedwith a companion forming face and having a movement opposite that ofsaid first forming tool to carry a successive portion of the extendingstock about said continuation forming face of said first tool.

2. A combination as'i'n claim 1, in which said forming surfaces arecomposed in part of the mating portions of stock receiving grooves inthe opposed edge portions of said members and in which/said grooves areclosed by a feed slide in cooperative relation to all said members.

3. A construction as in claim 1, in which said dies and forming toolshave companion faces all in substantially the same plane and in whichsaid members have stock receiving grooves about their edges at saidplane and a member having a substantially plane surface disposed toprovide a closure to said stock receiving grooves.

4. A combination as in claim 1, with mechanism for relatively openingand closing said dies and for advancing and retracting said formingtools and intermittently operating feed slide mechanism for gripping andadvancing the formed stool; when said dies and forming tools areretracted.

5. A combination as in claim 1, including means for advancing theforming tools in arcuate paths and for retracting same in substantiallyparallel relation.

6. A combination as in claim 1, including means for effecting retractivemovements of said forming tools and in which the second forming tool hasan overlying portion for confining and guiding the first forming tool inthe retractive movements of the tools.

'7. The construction of claim 1, in which said forming tools approachfrom opposite sides of the stock line and have sequential movements onintersecting arcs to fold the stock first in one and then in theopposite direction and means for imparting said sequential arcuatemovements to said forming tools and for then retracting said formingtools along substantially parallel lines.

8. The combination of claim 1, in which said forming tools engage andretain their engagement with the stock at the exact points of bendtherein.

9. A combination as in claim 1, in which the dies are mounted onoppositely reciprocating slides, the forming tools are pivotally mountedon op-' positely working slides at one side of the die slides and inwhich means ape provided for positively shifting the forming tools ontheir pivotal mountings toward said die slides in the reciprocation ofsaid forming tool slides.

10. A combination as in claim 1, in which the dies are mounted onoppositely reciprocating slides, the forming tools are pivotally mountedon oppositely working slides at one side of the die slides and in whichmeans are provided for shifting the forming tools on their pivotalmountings in the reciprocation of said forming tool slides and areciprocating feed slide operating at an angle between the opposed dieand forming tool slides.

11. A forming machine, comprising in combination, cooperating membersfor holding stock material with part of such stock protruding frombetween the same, a forming tool having a swinging movement toward saidholding members for folding a portion of such protruding stock over theouter face of one of said members and a sequentially acting forming toolhaving a swinging movement opposite that of said first forming tool andin a direction toward said first forming tool for then folding thesuccessive portion of said protruding stock in reverse direction'aboutthe exposed face of said first forming tool.

12. A combination as in claim 11, including mechanism for efiectingapproach and separation of said holding members and forming tools'andfeed mechanism for intermittently advancing the formed stock betweensaid holding members in time with the separation of said members.

13. A forming machine, comprising opposed reciprocating slides,cooperating holding dies on said slides, opposed reciprocating slides atone side of said die slides, stock forming tools pivotally mounted onsaid second slides and cam mechanism for shifting said forming tools ontheir pivotal mountings in the reciprocating movements of the slidescarrying the same.

14. A forming machine, comprising opposed reciprocating slides,cooperating holding dies on said slides, opposed reciprocating slides atone side of said die slides, stock forming tools pivotally mounted onsaid second slides, cam mechanism for shifting said forming tools ontheir pivotal mountings in the reciprocating movements of the slidescarrying the same, a feed slide operating beneath said first mentionedslides at an angle to the movement of the same, a clamp on said feedslide for engaging the work at a point adjacent said dies and means forefi'ecting the lifting and lowering of said work engaging clamp in timedrelation with the movement of said dies and forming tools.

15. A machine for forming strip stock in reversely facing bendsconnected by substantially parallel transverse strands, comprisingtransversely acting dies reciprocating in line with said transversestrands to alternately grip and release the same, one of said dieshaving substantially parallel inner and outer faces, a former forfolding stock over the parallel outer face of said die and provideditself with a substantially parallel outer face, a second former havinga movement reverse to the movement of the first former for folding thestock over said parallel outer face of the first former and mechanismfor carrying said formers inwardly in sequence in intersecting generallyarcua'te paths and for retracting said formers in substantialparallelism with the substantially parallel strands formed thereby.

16. In combination, a horizontally reciprocat ing feed slide having aplane upper surface, opposed sequentially acting formers operating oversaid plane upper surface ofsaid feed slide, co-

acting dies for the formed stock operating in opposition over said planeupper surface of the feed slide and means for actuating said feed slide,formers and dies in definite timed relation.

17. In combination, a horizontally acting feed slide, a guide for formedstock at the end of said feed slide, a detent for the formed stock onthe end of said feed slide at the entrance to said guide and meansoperating over said feed slide to form strip stock in zig-zag formationin position to enter said guide.

18. In combination, a feed slide having a plane upper surface and astrip guiding throat in line with said surface, formers at oppositesides of said feed slide and operating in reverse directions over saidplane upper surface of the feed slide and holding members for the formedstock operating in reverse directions over the plane surface of the feedslide in advance of said formers.

19. In a forming machine, a feed slide, a stock ward movement of theslide mounting the same,

a link connected with the other forming tool, cam means for operatingsaid link to advance said tool over the first forming tool in the inwardmovement of the slide mounting said second forming tool, slidesreciprocating transversely in opposite directions at oppositesides ofsaid feed slide in advance of the forming tool slides, dies carried by'said latter advance position slides shaped to engage the formed stockand to cooperate with the first former in imparting the desired form tothe stock and means for reciproeating all said slides in timed relation.

21. A machine for forming zig-zag bends in previously straight wirestock and comprising alternately operating swinging forming fingerssuccessively engaging the stock from opposite sides of the same onintersecting arcs and in overlapping relation and having stock formingfaces to bend the stock alternately in reverse relations and to leavethe stock between the bends in its original straight condition andoperating means for swinging said forming fingers together into saidoverlapping relation and for then relatively separating the same onsubstantially straight line movements to clear said straight lengths ofwire thus laid between said swinging forming fingers.

22. A forming machine "of the character disclosed, comprising incombination opposed companion dies for holding between them formed stripstock, a forming tool for cooperating with one of said dies, a secondforming tool for cooperating with said first forming tool, said holdingdies and forming tools having mating stock receiving grooves in theiropposed edge portions and all in a common plane and a member having aplane surface disposed to form a closure to said stock receiving groovesand said member having a movement parallel to said plane surface andsaid dies and forming tools having movements parallel to said planesurface, whereby said member serves as a closure to said stock receivinggrooves in the edges of the dies and forming tools in all positions ofsaid member and in all positions of said dies and tools,

23. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of stockforming tools, oppositely acting slides on which said tools arepivotally mounted, a relatively stationary abutment engageable by one ofsaid tools to shift the same laterally with respect to the slide onwhich it is mounted, the other forming tool being constructed andoperated to overlap said first forming tool in the laterally displacedposition of the same, a link connected with said second forming tool andpower means operating said link to positively force the second formingtool against the first forming tool and operating means for approachingand separating the slides supporting said forming tools.

DAVID L. BROWN.

